Explanation
BACKGROUND: Ordinance 0926-2005, passed June 13, 2005, authorized the City of Columbus to accept a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the State of Ohio, Department of Public Safety, Ohio Emergency Management Agency. Three homes in northeast Columbus, Ohio (which currently are privately owned and occupied) were built over an ancient bog and lakebed. The subsurface is unable to support these homes resulting in significant foundation and above-foundation structural damage. Consequently, the homes are sinking in the ground and causing ongoing damage, including, but not limited to, basement floors visibly sagging (5-inches or more in some areas) and voids existing beneath the floors.
This Hazardous Mitigation Grant will allow the Department of Development to eliminate the risk of future damage, hardship, loss and suffering resulting from this subsidence below the homes. The City will acquire the impacted properties, demolish the existing structures and back-fill the respective structures. In addition, green space will be created on the permanently vacated lots.
This legislation is submitted as an emergency to eliminate further damage, loss, and hardship to the homeowners and surrounding neighborhood.
FISCAL IMPACT: As part of this grant, $12,404 can be used to offset administrative costs. This ordinance appropriates the $12,404 for administrative costs.
Title
To authorize the appropriation of $12,404.00 in the General Government Grant Fund for administrative costs relating to the Balsamridge Project; and to declare an emergency. ($12,404.00)
Body
WHEREAS, the Department of Development has entered into an agreement with State of Ohio, Department of Public Safety, Ohio Emergency Management Agency, by which the Ohio Emergency Management Agency is providing funding to eliminate the risk of future damage, hardship, loss and suffering resulting from this subsidence below the homes through the City's acquisition of the impacted properties, the demolition of the existing structures, back-fill of the respective structures, and the creation of green space on the permanently vacated lots; and
WHEREAS, it is necessary to appropriate administrative funds from the state agency grant for the aforementioned activities in the amount of $12,404.00; and
WHEREAS, an emergency exists in the usual daily operation of the City of Columbus in that it is immediately necessary to appropriate said funds to eliminate further damage, loss, and hardship to the homeowners and surrounding neighborhood, all for the immediate preservation of the public health, property, safety and welfare; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
Section 1. That from the unappropriated monies in the fund known as the General Government Grant Fund, Fund No.220, Grant Number 445017 and from all monies estimated to come into said fund from any and all sources during the 12 months ending December 31, 2005, there be and hereby is appropriated to the following sums of:
DIVISION 44-01 Land Management
OBJECT
LEVEL ONE OCA AMOUNT
02 445017 $ 12,404.00
DIVISION 44-01 TOTAL $12,404.00
Section 2. That the monies in the foregoing Sections shall be paid upon the order of the respective departments for which the appropriations are made except that small claims in amounts not to exceed Two Thousand Five Hundred dollars ($2,500.00) may be paid as authorized by Chapter 335 of the Columbus City Code, 1959, as amended; that payments for premiums for official bonds, depository commissions, employees' hospitalization, life insurance, pensions, dental insurance, and prepaid legal services, shall be made on the order and approval of the Director of the Department of Finance; that the monies appropriated in the foregoing Sections, Division 44-01, shall be paid upon the order of the Director of the Department of Development; and that no order shall be drawn or money paid except upon voucher, the form of which shall be approved by the City Auditor.
Section 3. Except in the matter of payrolls providing for the payment of salaries of officers and employees regularly employed by the City and extraordinary emergencies, no warrant shall be issued in liquidation of vouchers, unless the department contracting the expense shall have first obtained an order duly certified that there are sufficient funds appropriated to the credit of the proper fund from which the expenditure is to be made, which certificate must be obtained prior to the incurrence of the obligation, and the head of any department or division authorized to contract expenditures will be held personally responsible for any obligation incurred contrary to the provisions of this section. Except that such certificate shall not be issued for obligations pertaining to "Capital Outlay" in programs or activities funded by federal or state categorical grants without the prior approval of the Director of the Department of Finance; such prior approval must be obtained before submission of any requisition for items coded as "Capital Outlay" to the Division of Purchasing. The Director of the Department of Finance will review such requests for conformity with the approved budget.
Section 4. That it is understood that this Council is not making specific appropriations for each item of every classification herein before contained but only for the total for each department and sub-department, as shown in the final column. The itemized classification shall, however, constitute limitations on the powers of the several department heads, and no such officer shall make any expenditure for any other purpose in any amount beyond that of the particular classification; provided, however, that transfers may be made from one character to another, within any one department or division. Transfers of sums exceeding $25,000.00 shall be authorized only by resolution of Council. Transfers of sums of $25,000.00 or less shall be approved by letter with the signatures of the head of the department, the Director of the Department of Finance, the City Auditor and the Chairman of the Committee on Finance.
Section 5. That for the reasons stated in the preamble hereto, which is hereby made a part hereof, this ordinance is hereby declared to be an emergency measure and shall take effect and be in force from and after passage and approval by the Mayor, or ten days after passage if the Mayor neither approves nor vetoes the same.